


The Art of Comforting a Loved One

by Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound



Series: Art Forms [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive John Winchester, Adorable, Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Back Pain, Baker Castiel (Supernatural), Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Chronic Pain, Dean Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gentle Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mates, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Past Abuse, Shy Dean Winchester, Soft Castiel (Supernatural), Soft Dean Winchester, True Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26162821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound/pseuds/Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound
Summary: It has been nine months since the bakery fire, and one busy night at the bakery causes Dean's back to start acting up. Luckily, he has his Omega to make everything feel better.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Art Forms [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787338
Comments: 22
Kudos: 165





	The Art of Comforting a Loved One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone. ;) I keep coming back to this series. Maybe I really like the dynamic, maybe I just needed to work some stuff out.
> 
> Actually, I REALLY needed to work some stuff out. I just saw the trailer for the final part of Season 15 and I cried. And if I cried at the TRAILER, I can't IMAGINE what will happen when I see the actual scene (and you ALL know which scene I'm talking about).
> 
> Anyway, I needed some fluff, so here you go. Have some domestic Destiel. I'm going to be over here in a corner, praying for canon Destiel again. ;)

Good God, it had been a long day.

Castiel Novak breathed a soft sigh of relief as he got home from the store. The lights in the house he shared with Dean looked warm and inviting. 

It was Friday night, which meant that they had a full glorious two days before they had to go back to the bakery. They left the shop to Garth and Anna, their two employees, on the weekends. Anna was a college student who enjoyed having a weekend job, and Garth was a kind man with a talent for dealing with kids. He had been The Seraph’s first employee.

Typically, unless it was incredibly busy, Castiel left early on Friday and went shopping so they could stock up on inventory. Anna came in and helped work the night shift, so Dean was never forced to work it alone. Friday nights were never incredibly busy anyway, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle.

Today, Castiel had left a little before five. He climbed out of his car with a groan, stretching his tired muscles. He was ready to eat some dinner and cuddle with his mate on the couch. Maybe if they were in the mood, they could do a little more than cuddling.

Smiling to himself, Castiel opened the trunk and pulled out the groceries. He was able to make one trip, if he stacked three bags on one arm. Grunting at the weight, Castiel used his elbow to shut the trunk and staggered up to the front door.

Thankfully, it was unlocked. Castiel entered and kicked the door shut behind him, smiling at the scent of cooking food. 

His mate, Dean, was a fantastic cook. Once Castiel had managed to convince him that it was perfectly fine for Alphas to know how to cook, contrary to what his horrid excuse for a father had told him, Dean had revealed that he secretly enjoyed cooking. He made most of the dinners for them, as Castiel had never been a good cook himself. A great baker, yes, but anything he tried cooking typically burned.

Castiel entered the kitchen, surprised to see that Dean wasn’t there. There was a pot on the stove, with what looked like homemade tomato sauce inside. It was simmering gently.

Castiel frowned. Dean didn’t typically leave the stove unattended. He flicked the burner down a little more and put the groceries away, then went off in search of his mate.

Castiel snuffled around the house, trying to find him by scent alone. They’d finally mated during Castiel’s past heat, and although they had yet to actually get married, their bond was much closer now.

Because of that, Castiel located Dean easily.

The Omega frowned worriedly and hurried into their bedroom, squinting at his Alpha in the near-darkness.

“Alpha? Are you alright?” Castiel asked, voice soft. When there was no response, he tried again, his voice louder. “Alpha! Wake up.”

Dean jerked and then gave a pitiful groan. He shifted around stiffly, and that was all Castiel needed to know. He moved forward and ducked into their nest, kneeling beside where his Alpha laid on the blankets.

“Cas?” Dean mumbled. “You’re not s’posed’a be home yet.”

“Dean, it’s eight o’clock,” Castiel told him. 

Dean cursed softly. “I fell ‘sleep,” he said, more to himself than to Castiel.

“Alpha, do we need to take you to the hospital again?” Castiel asked, voice dead serious. Dean blinked up at him, green eyes bright in the darkness of the room.

“No! No, no, I’m fine. No ambulance, no hospital,” Dean said, shaking his head vehemently.

“Really?” Castiel asked skeptically. “Can you sit up for me?”

Dean blinked at him, then grimaced. “Um. . . yes.”

He jerked his elbows up underneath himself and shoved, trying to use momentum to force his body off the ground. The movement was so violent that he couldn’t keep a yelp of pain from leaving his lips.

Castiel’s arms shot out and he caught his mate before he could fall back, grunting at his weight. Dean had been working out lately, probably more than he should have been, and he’d gained back most of the muscle he’d lost in the hospital. It had been nearly nine months since the fire in the bakery, and both Alpha and Omega had recovered well.

Of course, there were long-term complications. One of them was that Castiel’s lungs were extremely sensitive to smoke. If anyone smoked a cigarette within ten feet of him, he’d start coughing up a lung and would have a raging migraine for the rest of the day. 

Dean suffered far worse ailments. If he did too much strenuous work without taking a break, his back and knee would start acting up. The pain got to be so bad sometimes, he couldn’t eat.

“Dean, what did you do?” Castiel asked, half-scolding. He was more worried than anything, and in his head he was frantically running through everything he had to do to fix this.

Dean was quiet for a moment. Castiel couldn’t see him very well in the half-light, but he didn’t like the defeated tilt to his head. After a moment, a soft sniffle broke the silence.

“I’m sorry,” Dean murmured.

Castiel softened. “Why are you sorry, Alpha? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Dean blew out a disbelieving breath. “I can’t even work a night shift alone without feeling like I’m gonna die. And then you have to deal with it, and I don’t want to be such a fucking _burden_ all the time-“

Castiel frowned. “You aren’t a burden, Dean. You know what we’ve said about talking badly about yourself. And why didn’t Anna help you with the night shift?”

Dean shook his head. “Her grandma is in the hospital. She had to be with her.”

Castiel sighed. “Alright, then why didn’t you call me? I could have come back.” 

“You were doing stuff. I was fine.”

Castiel resisted the urge to point out that no, he wasn’t. Obviously, if he’d been feeling so bad that he’d left in the middle of making dinner to go lay in their nest. Dean never did that without Castiel unless he was scared, feeling lonely, or in pain.

“Was it busy?” Castiel asked, feeling like he already knew the answer.

Dean looked away.

Castiel sighed, dropping his head. Sometimes, it was impossible to predict what the flow of customers would be like. It seemed as if it had been exceptionally heavy tonight.

Another soft sniffle brought Castiel back, and he realized that Dean was sort of curled in on himself.

Over the past nine months, Castiel had learned how to read his Alpha. He knew when John Winchester, that fucking bastard of a father, was whispering his poison in Dean’s ears. He knew when the Alpha was feeling insecure, or when he was sad, or when he was jealous. 

Castiel had never really wanted a true mate. He’d always assumed that Alphas were all hotheaded assholes. But Dean was the softest, sweetest, gentlest Alpha Castiel had ever known, and he loved him for it. He also knew that others in the past had taken advantage of that.

The dark-haired Omega sighed. The damage was already done. He needed to stop scolding his mate and start easing his pain.

“Alright, Alpha,” Castiel said. “I’m going to go finish dinner. Lay down and rest.”

Dean sniffled and shook his head. “No, I sh-should finish it.”

“Stay, Alpha,” Castiel ordered. “Let me finish dinner.”

Dean gave a weak, watery chuckle. “Bossy Omega,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Castiel kissed him gently on the forehead. “Don’t you know it.”

He helped Dean lay back down, shushing the soft grunts of pain that emerged from his Alpha’s throat. When Dean was laid back against the pillows, Castiel fluffed a few and tucked some blankets around his Alpha.

“I’ll come back in a few minutes with some painkillers,” Castiel said, keeping his voice soft. He knew that Dean sometimes got headaches to go with his back pain, and loud noises and bright lights were a no-go for that.

As quietly as he could, the Omega ducked out of the nest and hurried back to the kitchen. He checked that the sauce was still fine, deciding that they could eat spaghetti tonight.

Castiel went back and gave Dean some painkillers, along with a glass of water. Then he went back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

As Castiel boiled water, he thought about what Dean had said. He knew, from past explanations, that Dean felt like he was a burden sometimes. He felt like he was ‘wrong’ or ‘weird’, a product of what he’d been told his entire life. It sort of pissed Castiel off, that societal norms meant that an Alpha had to be confident and cocky to be considered ‘normal’.

He shook his head, grating Parmesan cheese over a bowl. If he could go back and punch every single person who had ever made Dean feel worthless, he would. He knew how it felt to be mocked for being who you were. Not many Alphas took well to how bossy and independent Castiel was. They thought Omegas should be quiet and subdued, which Castiel had never been.

_Well, they can all go fuck themselves. I’m happy as I am_.

Castiel finished dinner and piled the pasta on two plates. He put large spoonfuls of Dean’s sauce on both, then a healthy sprinkling of cheese. Finally, Castiel grabbed some forks and headed back to their bedroom. They could eat in the nest tonight.

Dean was half-asleep when Castiel sat back down, both plates of food in his hands. Castiel set them down on the floor and helped his Alpha sit up, then put the fork in his hand and the plate on his lap.

“Eat,” he instructed gently.

Dean ate obediently, smiling a little to himself as he did. “This is good, Cas,” he mumbled around a mouthful.

Castiel smiled affectionately at him. “I didn’t do much. All I did was cook the pasta. The sauce is your doing.”

Dean hummed and ate another bite. “The pasta is the best part.”

Castiel rolled his eyes, smiling at Dean. He knew his mate was lying, but it was kind of adorable. The sauce was most definitely the best part, perfectly seasoned and bursting with flavor.

They ate in relative silence for most of the meal. When they’d both finished dinner, Castiel took their plates back to the kitchen and helped Dean lay down again. With his Alpha resting and covered in blankets, the Omega hurried to do the dishes.

He finished in fifteen minutes, wiping his hands dry. Castiel cleaned up the kitchen, then went back to their bedroom. He’d hoped that Dean would have fallen asleep, but he was awake, face screwed up in pain.

“Can’t sleep?”

Dean shook his head. “Hurts worse than before,” he grunted.

Castiel winced in sympathy. “It will take a while for the painkillers to kick in. Do you want a massage?”

Dean shook his head. Castiel frowned. Massages usually made Dean’s back feel better. Sometimes they even put him to sleep.

Castiel watched Dean’s face for a moment, taking in the lines on his forehead and around his mouth. After a moment, he sighed.

“Let me give you a massage, Alpha. I’m going to turn you over, alright?”

“No, Cas,” Dean replied, opening bleary green eyes. “‘M fine. Just let me sleep.” At Castiel’s unimpressed expression, he gave a pleading look. “Please, Omega?”

“Don’t you pull that bullshit on me. I’m going to turn you over, and you’re going to stop pretending like you’re fine and let me help you,” Castiel said.

Dean gave him a sad face for a moment longer, then caved. “Okay.” 

Castiel smiled at him gratefully and helped him roll over onto his stomach, wincing at the noises of pain that Dean tried so hard to suppress. Once Dean was settled on his front, Castiel straddled his thighs and began to knead the tight muscles of the Alpha’s lower back.

Dean released a long, low groan of pain. Castiel shushed him gently, grinding his hands down into the thick muscle of Dean’s torso. He moved his hands up and down the expanse of the Alpha’s back, listening as Dean’s moans of pain slowly turned into soft sighs of relief.

“Does that feel better?” Castiel asked.

“Mmm,” his Alpha replied. “Yeeeaaahhh. . .”

Castiel chuckled and massaged his lower back again, slowly working out the thick knots of tension he found there. Dean’s muscles were worryingly tight, and Castiel wondered how long his back had really been hurting. There must have been a lot of people tonight, for him to be so tense.

“Cas?” Dean mumbled, voice slurred and sleepy. 

Castiel smiled. “Yes, Dean?”

“‘M sorry. Didn’ mean’a make you worry,” Dean said.

“It’s alright, Dean. Just. . . please, tell me next time?” Castiel asked. “I don’t like when you’re hurting, Alpha.”

“I was _fine_ -“

“If you say that again, Alpha, I will lock you in the bedroom and sleep on the couch,” Castiel threatened.

Dean turned his head, green eyes wide. “No, don’t do that! I won’t say it again, I swear!”

Castiel kissed him on the forehead. “I wasn’t actually going to do it, Alpha, don’t worry. We can sleep here tonight, alright?”

Dean relaxed, going loose and pliant among the blankets again. “Okay,” he yawned.

Castiel smiled affectionately and glanced at the time. It was late. Probably time for bed.

“I’m going to change, and then I’ll come back, alright?” he asked. Dean tensed a little, peeling one eye open and blinking at him. Castiel smiled gently.

“Okay. You’ll be right back?” Dean asked.

“Of course.”

Dean hesitated a moment longer, then nodded and put his head back down on the blankets. He was still tense, and Castiel resolved to hurry through getting ready for bed.

He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. Castiel made sure his noises were loud, so Dean knew where he was. He hurried to throw on sleep pants and a soft shirt and then flicked off the lights, climbing back into the nest.

“Alpha?” Castiel asked. 

“Mmm?”

“Goodnight. I love you.”

There was a pause, and then warm arms slung themselves sleepily around Castiel’s body. “Love you too.”

The dark-haired Omega smiled, snuggling into his mate’s embrace. Cuddled here, in their shared nest, their scents intertwined. . . This really was heaven.

Castiel closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> :) I love these two.
> 
> Canon Destiel or not, the fandom has made them the greatest pairing to ever live. That's pretty amazing to me.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I love you all. See you soon! :)
> 
> ~Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound


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